System and method for obtaining a status of an authorization device over a network

ABSTRACT

A system and method for determining the status of an authorization device over a network. Output signals indicative of the status of the authorization device are stored in a status file. An authorization datastore accesses the status file over the first network and obtains the status of the authorization device. A determination is made from the user identifier if the user is authorized to use the controlled device. Permission is granted to the user to use the controlled device if the user is determined to be authorized to use the controlled device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation in part of application Ser. No.11/123,490 filed May 6, 2005, which is a continuation in part ofapplication Ser. No. 09/759,107 filed Jan. 12, 2001, which is acontinuation in part of application Ser. No. 08/963,373, filed Nov. 3,1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,175,616 and a continuation in part ofapplication Ser. No. 09/265,656, filed Mar. 2, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No.6,483,900. The Ser. Nos. 11/123,490, 09/759,107, 09/265,656, and08/963,373 applications and the U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,175,616 and 6,483,900patents are incorporated herein by reference, in the entirety, for allpurposes.

BACKGROUND

This invention relates generally to electronically determining thestatus of a device over a network. More specifically, the presentinvention provides a method and apparatus for reporting the status of adevice to a file that is accessible from a obtaining the reported statusremotely.

The Ser. Nos. 08/963,373, 09/265,656, 09/759,107, and 11/123,490applications (collectively, the “Status Applications”) compriseembodiments relating to monitoring the status of a receiving device, atelephone, a device, and alarm components within a structure.

The Ser. No. 08/963,373 application, as issued as U.S. Pat. No.6,175,616, discloses a system for obtaining telephone status over anetwork comprising a calling party computer, a network to which thecalling party computer is connected, a plurality of telephones, atelephone status monitor connected to the plurality of telephones formonitoring a telephone status of the plurality of telephones, and atelephone status file connected to the telephone status monitor forreceiving the telephone status from the plurality of telephones. Thetelephone status file is connected to and accessible via the network.The telephone status is a consumer option selected from the groupconsisting of: number of rings to voicemail and call forwarding.

In another embodiment disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,175,616, the systemfurther comprises a called party processor connected to the network. Avoice mail converter is connected to the called party processor forconverting an alpha numeric message to a voice mail message. Theconverter is also connected to a called party telephone for allowing acalled party to access the voice mail message. The calling partyprocessor can create an alphanumeric message to be sent to the calledparty processor over the network for subsequent conversion into voicemail by the voice mail converter.

In yet another embodiment disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,175,616, acalling party inputs a called party's telephone number via a callingparty processor that is monitoring the telephone of the called party todetermine the telephone status of the called party. The status of thecalled party's telephone is made available in a file. The called partytelephone status file is accessed over a network. The calling partycreates an alpha numeric message and sends the alpha numeric messageover the network to a called party processor. The called party processorreceives the alphanumeric message. The received alphanumeric message isconverted to voice mail via a voice mail converter. The called partyaccesses voice mail to receive the converted alpha numeric message.

The Ser. No. 09/265,656 application, as issued as U.S. Pat. No.6,483,900, discloses a system for obtaining equipment status over anetwork comprising equipment adapted to provide output signalsindicative of the status of the equipment, a first network connected tothe equipment for receiving the signals from the equipment, a statusfile connected to the first network for receiving the output signalsfrom the equipment over the first network, a second network connected tothe status file, and a processor connected to the second network. Theprocessor comprises instructions for accessing the status file over thesecond network, and for displaying the status of the equipment to a userof the processor.

In another embodiment disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,483,900, theequipment comprises a plurality of telephones. In this embodiment, thesignals indicative of the status of the equipment comprises off-hooksignals from the plurality of telephones if any of the plurality oftelephones are off-hook. The status file comprises the off-hook statusof the plurality of telephones if any of the plurality of telephones isoff hook. By way of illustration and not as a limitation, the firstnetwork may be a public switched telephone network or a cable network.By way of illustration and not as a limitation, the second network maybe a cable network or the Internet.

In yet another embodiment disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,483,900, a systemfor obtaining equipment status over a network further comprises at leastone thermostat. In this embodiment, the signals indicative of the statusof the equipment comprises temperature. In another embodiment, thestatus file comprises temperature signaled by at least one thermostat.

In still another embodiment disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,483,900, asystem for determining telephone status over a network comprises aplurality of telephones, a cable network to which the plurality oftelephones are connected, a switch connected to the cable network forplacing telephone calls over a public switched telephone network (PTSN),the switch comprising instructions for determining and transmittingtelephone status, a telephone status file adapted to receive and storethe telephone status from the switch, a second network connected to thetelephone status file, and at least one computer connected to thenetwork, the computer comprising instructions for accessing thetelephone status file over the second network. In an embodiment, thesecond network is the Internet.

An embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 09/759,107 application is asystem for communicating status of a plurality of plain old telephonesystem (POTS) telephones over a network to an inquiring computer. Thesystem comprises a telephone status monitor connected so as to monitor atelephone status of the plurality of POTS telephones, and a telephonestatus file connected to the telephone status monitor for receiving thetelephone status of the plurality of POTS telephones. The telephonestatus file is accessible by the inquiring computer via the network. Thetelephone status may comprise an on-hook and off-hook condition of thetelephone and the status of consumer options for telephone service.

In another embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 09/759,107 application,the system further comprises a calling party telephone and logicenabling the calling party telephone to place a telephone call to one ofthe plurality of POTS telephones when that one of the plurality of POTStelephones is in an on-hook status.

In yet another embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 09/759,107application, the system further comprises a voice mail converterconnected to receive an alpha numeric message via the network andconvert the alpha numeric message into a voice mail message. Theconverter is further connected so as to allow a called party to accessthe voice mail message. The inquiring computer can create analphanumeric message to be sent to the voice mail converter over thenetwork for subsequent conversion into voice mail by the voice mailconverter. Optionally, the system further comprises a called partyprocessor connected to the network. The voice mail converter isconnected to receive the alpha numeric message from the network via thecalled party processor.

Another embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 09/759,107 applicationprovides a process for a calling party to determine telephone status ofa called party telephone over a network. A telephone numbercorresponding to the called party's plain old telephone system (POTS)telephone is inputted to a telephone status monitor over the network viaa calling party processor. A called party telephone status file isaccessed over the network. The status of the called party's POTStelephone is made available via the called party telephone status fileby the telephone status monitor. Optionally, the calling party processordials the telephone number of the called party's POTS telephone when anon-hook status is detected to establish a telephone call between thecalling party and the called party via a telephone connected to thecalling party processor.

Yet another embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 09/759,107 applicationprovides a process for determining telephone status. A telephone statusfile is accessed over a network. The status of a plurality of plain oldtelephone system (POTS) telephones is monitored and that telephonestatus is provided to the telephone status file. The telephone statusmay be periodically updated. In another embodiment, accessing atelephone status over a network comprises receiving a number to becalled, input by a calling party, and reviewing the telephone status ofthe number to be called in the telephone status file. In yet anotherembodiment, the process further comprises notifying a calling party bypager that a called party telephone is in an on-hook condition.

An embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 09/759,107 application is asystem for communicating over a network comprising a voice mailconverter connected to receive an alpha numeric message via the networkand convert the alpha numeric message into a voice mail message. Theconverter is further connected so as to allow a called party to accessthe voice mail message. A message creation device creates analphanumeric message to be sent to the voice mail converter over thenetwork for subsequent conversion into voice mail by the voice mailconverter. In an embodiment, the network is a wireless network and themessage creation device comprises a wireless communication device. Inanother embodiment, the creation device comprises a telephone. In stillanother embodiment, the the creation device comprises a computer. In yetanother embodiment, the network is a wireless network and the calledparty accesses the voice mail message using a wireless communicationdevice. The wireless communication device may comprise a telephone, acomputer, or a personal digital assistant having voice capability. Thecreation device may be telephone or computer. The called party mayaccess the voice mail message using a telephone, a computer, or apersonal digital assistant having voice capability.

An embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 09/759,107 application is asystem for providing status of a plurality of telephones over a networkto an inquiring computer. The system comprises a telephone statusmonitor connected so as to monitor a telephone status of the pluralityof telephones and a telephone status file connected to the telephonestatus monitor for receiving the telephone status of the plurality oftelephones. The telephone status file is accessible by the inquiringcomputer via the network. The telephone status is a consumer optionselected from the group consisting of a number of rings to voicemail andcall waiting.

Another embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 09/759,107 application is asystem for providing telephone status over a network to a calling partycomputer connected to that network. The system comprises a telephonestatus monitor connected so as to monitor a telephone status of atelephone, a telephone status file connected to the telephone statusmonitor for receiving the telephone status of the telephone, thetelephone status file being accessible by the calling computer via thenetwork, and a voice mail converter connected to receive an alphanumeric message via the network and convert the alpha numeric messageinto a voice mail message. The voice mail converter is connected so asto allow a called party to access the voice mail message. The callingparty computer can create an alphanumeric message to be sent to thevoice mail converter via the network for subsequent conversion intovoice mail by the voice mail converter. Optionally, the system furthercomprises a called party processor connected to the network. The voicemail converter is connected to receive the alpha numeric message fromthe network via the called party processor.

Yet another embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 09/759,107 applicationprovides a process for a calling party to determine telephone status ofa called party telephone over a network. A called party's telephonenumber is inputted to a telephone status monitor over the network via acalling party processor. The called party telephone status file isaccessed over the network. The status of the called party telephone ismade available via the called party status file by the telephone statusmonitor. An alpha numeric message is created sending the alpha numericmessage over the network to a voice mail converter for conversion into avoice mail message. The voice mail message is accessible for retrievalby the called party. In an embodiment, the alpha numeric message isreceived at the voice mail converter via a called party processorconnected between the network and the voice mail converter.

A further embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 09/759,107 applicationprovides a process for determining telephone status. A telephone statusfile is accessed over a network, the telephone status file representingtelephone status of one or more telephones that are being monitored.Periodic updates to the telephone status file with respect to a calledparty telephone selected from the one or more telephones monitored forthe telephone status file are reviewed. A calling party is notified bypager that the called party telephone is in an on-hook condition.

An embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 09/759,107 application is asystem for communicating thermal status via one or more telephones overa network to an inquiring computer. The system comprises a telephonestatus monitor connected so as to monitor a telephone status of the oneor more telephones, and a telephone status file connected to thetelephone status monitor for receiving the telephone status of the oneor more telephones, the telephone status file being accessible by theinquiring computer via the network. The telephone status comprises atemperature condition of a thermal system reporting to the telephone. Byway of illustration and not as a limitation, the thermal systemreporting a temperature condition may be selected from the groupconsisting of a household heating system, a household cooling system, ahousehold central air system, a commercialheating-ventilation-air-conditioning system, a refrigerator, and afreezer.

An embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 09/759,107 application providesa process for a calling party to determine thermal status via a calledparty telephone over a network. A telephone number corresponding to thecalled party's telephone is inputted to a telephone status monitor overthe network via a calling party processor. A called party telephonestatus file is accessed over the network. The telephone status of thecalled party's telephone is made available via the called partytelephone status file by the telephone status monitor. The telephonestatus comprises a temperature condition of a thermal system reportingto the telephone. In an embodiment, the thermal system reporting atemperature condition is selected from the group consisting of ahousehold heating system, a household cooling system, a householdcentral air system, a commercial heating-ventilation-air-conditioningsystem, a refrigerator, and a freezer.

Another embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 09/759,107 applicationprovides a process for determining temperature status via telephone. Atelephone status file is accessed over a network. The temperature statuscorresponding to a plurality of telephones is monitored and thattemperature status is provided to the telephone status file. In anembodiment, the temperature status corresponding to each of theplurality of telephones comprises a temperature condition reported by athermal system, wherein the thermal system is selected from the groupconsisting of a household heating system, a household cooling system, ahousehold central air system, a commercialheating-ventilation-air-conditioning system, a refrigerator, and afreezer.

Yet another embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 09/759,107 applicationprovides a system for communicating status of a plurality of telephonesover a network to a videophone. The system comprises a telephone statusmonitor connected so as to monitor a telephone status of the pluralityof telephones and a telephone status file connected to the telephonestatus monitor for receiving the telephone status of the plurality oftelephones. The telephone status file is accessible by the videophonevia the network.

Still another embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 09/759,107application provides a process for a calling party to determinetelephone status of a called party telephone over a network. A telephonenumber corresponding to the called party's telephone is inputted to atelephone status monitor over the network via a videophone. A calledparty telephone status file is accessed with the videophone over thenetwork. The status of the called party's telephone is made availablevia the called party telephone status file by the telephone statusmonitor.

Another embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 09/759,107 applicationprovides process for determining telephone status comprising. Atelephone status file is accessed over a network using a videophone. Thestatus of a plurality of telephones is monitored and that telephonestatus is provided to the telephone status file for viewing via thevideophone.

Yet another embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 09/759,107 applicationprovides a system for communicating status of a plurality of wirelesstelecommunication devices over a network to an inquiring computer. Thesystem comprises a telephone status monitor connected so as to monitor atelephone status of the plurality of wireless telecommunication devices,and a telephone status file connected to the telephone status monitorfor receiving the telephone status of the plurality of wirelesstelecommunication devices. The telephone status file is accessible bythe inquiring computer via the network. Optionally, system furthercomprises a voice mail converter connected to receive an alpha numericmessage via the network and convert the alpha numeric message into avoice mail message. The voice mail converter is further connected so asto allow a called party to access the voice mail message via one or moreof the plurality of wireless telecommunication devices. The inquiringcomputer can create an alphanumeric message to be sent to the voice mailconverter via the network for subsequent conversion into voice mail bythe voice mail converter.

Still another embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 09/759,107application provides a process for a calling party to determine devicestatus of a called party wireless telecommunication device over anetwork. A telephone number corresponding to the called party's wirelesstelecommunication device is inputted to a device status monitor over thenetwork via a calling party processor. A called party device status fileis accessed over a network. The status of the called party's wirelesstelecommunication devices is made available via the called party devicestatus file by the device status monitor. Optionally, an alpha numericmessage is created. The alpha numeric message is sent over the networkto a voice mail converter for conversion into a voice mail message. Thevoice mail message is accessible for retrieval by the called party viathe called party's wireless telecommunication device. In an embodiment,the calling party is notified by pager that the called party's wirelesstelecommunication device is in an on-hook condition.

An embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 09/759,107 application providesa process for determining wireless telecommunication device status. Adevice status file is accessed over a network. The status of a pluralityof wireless telecommunication devices is monitored and that devicestatus is provided to the device status file. In an embodiment, thecalling party is notified by pager that the called party's wirelesstelecommunication device is in an on-hook condition

In an embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 11/123,490 application, asystem for obtaining status of a receiving device over a networkcomprises equipment adapted to provide output signals indicative of thestatus of the receiving device, a status file, a first network, a secondnetwork, and a sending device. The receiving device comprises an addressfor receiving communications. By way of illustration and not as alimitation, the receiving device may be a telephone, and wherein thesignals indicative of the status of the receiving device comprisesoff-hook signals from the telephone if the telephone is off-hook. In anembodiment, the user address and the receiving device address aretelephone numbers. However, this is not meant as a limitation. Otheraddressing systems may be used without departing from the scope of thepresent invention.

The status file is connected to the equipment and to the first networkand receives the output signals from the equipment. The sending deviceis connected to the first network and comprises instructions foraccessing the status file over the first network and for obtaining thestatus of the receiving device. By way of illustration and not as alimitation, the status file comprises the off-hook status of a telephoneif the of telephone is off hook and the on-hook status of a telephone ifthe telephone is on-hook. The status comprises a user identifier of apotential user of the receiving device determined to be within a presetaccess distance of the receiving device.

According to embodiments disclosed in the Ser. No. 11/123,490application, the first network is selected from the group consisting ofa wired network, wireless network, a fiber network, hybrid fiber coaxnetwork, a switched network, a packet-based network, a cable network, apublic switched telephone network, and the Internet. According to otherembodiments of the present invention, the receiving device is selectedfrom the group consisting of a telephone, a computing device, a digitaltelephone adapted to provide voice over IP, a digital telephone adaptedto provide voice over a packet switched network, a personal dataassistance, a cell phone, a radio phone, and a video phone.

According to embodiments disclosed in the Ser. No. 11/123,490application, the sending device is selected from the group consisting ofa telephone, a computing device, a digital telephone adapted to providevoice over IP, a digital telephone adapted to provide voice over apacket switched network, a personal data assistance, a cell phone, aradio phone, a video phone a switch, a router, a proxy server, and aPBX.

In still another embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 11/123,490application, the system further comprises a second network. According tothis embodiment, the sending device associates a user address with theuser identifier, and routes communications addressed to the user addressto the address of the receiving device via the second network.

According to embodiments disclosed in the Ser. No. 11/123,490application, the second network is selected from the group consisting ofa wired network, wireless network, a fiber network, hybrid fiber coaxnetwork, a switched network, a packet-based network, a cable network, apublic switched telephone network, and the Internet.

In an embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 11/123,490 application, asystem for obtaining status of a receiving device over a networkcomprises equipment that provides output signals indicative of thestatus of the receiving device, a datastore, a receiving device monitor,a status file, a first network, a second network, and a sending device.The receiving device comprises an address for receiving communications.By way of illustration and not as a limitation, the receiving device maybe a telephone, and wherein the signals indicative of the status of thereceiving device comprises off-hook signals from the telephone if thetelephone is off-hook. In this embodiment, the user address and thereceiving device address are telephone numbers. However, this is notmeant as a limitation. Other addressing systems may be used withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention.

The datastore comprises a user identifier associated with a useraddress. The receiving device monitor provides state data indicative ofa state of the receiving device and provides proximity data indicativeof a potential user being within a preset access distance of thereceiving device to receive communications from the sending device. Theproximity data comprises a user identifier associated with the potentialuser. The status file is connected to the equipment and to the firstnetwork and receives the output signals from the state data andproximity data from the receiving device monitor. The sending device isconnected to the first network and the second network and accesses thestatus file over the first network and obtains the state data and theproximity data of the receiving device. By way of illustration and notas a limitation, the status file comprises the off-hook status of atelephone if the of telephone is off hook and the on-hook status of atelephone if the telephone is on-hook. Using the user identifier, thereceiving device monitor obtains a user address and routescommunications addressed to the user address to the receiving deviceaddress via the second network.

According to embodiments disclosed in the Ser. No. 11/123,490application, the first and second networks are selected from the groupconsisting of a wired network, wireless network, a fiber network, hybridfiber coax network, a switched network, a packet-based network, a cablenetwork, a public switched telephone network, and the Internet.According to other embodiments of the present invention, the receivingdevice is selected from the group consisting of a telephone, a computingdevice, adapted to provide voice over IP, a digital telephone adapted toprovide voice over a packet switched network, a personal dataassistance, a cell phone, a radio phone, and a video phone.

According to embodiments disclosed in the Ser. No. 11/123,490application, the sending device is selected from the group consisting ofa telephone, a computing device, a adapted to provide voice over IP, adigital telephone adapted to provide voice over a packet switchednetwork, a personal data assistance, a cell phone, a radio phone, avideo phone, a switch, a router, a proxy server, and a PBX.

In still another embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 11/123,490application, the system further comprises a second network. According tothis embodiment, the sending device associates a user address with theuser identifier, and routes communications addressed to the user addressto the address of the receiving device via the second network.

According to embodiments disclosed in the Ser. No. 11/123,490application, the second network is selected from the group consisting ofa wired network, wireless network, a fiber network, hybrid fiber coaxnetwork, a switched network, a packet-based network, a cable network, apublic switched telephone network, and the Internet.

In an embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 11/123,490 application, asystem for obtaining status of a receiving device over a networkcomprises the receiving device, a datastore, an RFID tag comprising anRFID tag identifier that is associated with the user identifier, areceiving device state monitor that provides state data indicative of astate of the receiving device, an RFID monitor that provides proximitydata indicative of the RFID tag being located within a preset accessdistance of the receiving device, and wherein the proximity datacomprises the RFID tag identifier, a status file that receives devicestate data and proximity data, a first network, a second network.

In an embodiment disclosed in the Ser. No. 11/123,490 application, thereceiving device comprises a receiving device address and is adapted toreceive communications from a sending device, the datastore comprises auser identifier, and proximity data comprises a user identifier of apotential user of the receiving device. The sending device accesses thestatus file over the first network, obtains the state data and theproximity data of the receiving device, using the RFID identifier,obtains the user identifier and the user address, and routescommunications addressed to the user address to the receiving deviceaddress via the second network. In yet another embodiment disclosed inthe Ser. No. 11/123,490 application, the RFID monitor determines thepresence of an RFID tag within the preset distance of the receivingdevice and provides the proximity.

As described above, the Status Applications provide systems andprocesses for determining the status of a variety of devices via anetwork. The importance of device status cannot be overstated. Forexample, dwelling and vehicle security is a multi-billion dollarindustry. The FBI reports a burglary occurs every 15.4 seconds. It hasalso been reported that a home without a security system is 2 to 3 timesmore likely to be burglarized.

Dwelling alarm systems typically comprise sensors, annunciators, andtelecom paths. Sensors include those for fire, motion within a room,structural movement (e.g., doors and windows), sound (e.g., glassbreaking), and panic buttons (e.g., medical or threat emergencies).Annunciators, which are activated when a sensor is triggered, includelocal audible alarms (e.g., sirens, bells, voice warnings) and messagessent using the telecom paths to an alarm call center (a central stationwhere operators monitor alarms from alarm service subscribers) ordirectly to an alarm authority (e.g., police, fire department,ambulance). Video and audio data may also be captured and transmitted.

Typically, a local sensor in a multi-sensor alarm system detects fire,motion within a room, structural movement, specific sounds, operation ofa panic buttons, or other state for which a sensor is designed (eachsuch detection is an “alarm trigger”) and sends a signal to a localprocessor (“sensor hub”), usually on premises. The sensor hub then sendsa signal over a wireline (e.g., dial-up or leased telephone line, DSL,cable modem) or wireless (e.g., mobile phone network, private radioservice) to an alarm call center or alarm authority, where a response tothe alarm is undertaken.

There are several problems with typical alarm systems. Basic dwellingalarm systems typically do not differentiate between types of alarms(e.g., fire, motion, medical). This lack of differentiation requires thealarm call center to interpret the alarms received. Errors can be madein this interpretation, and the wrong type of alarm response dispatched.Improved home alarm systems, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,215,404, granted to Morales, include a means of analyzing the localannunciator sound output (e.g., siren, bell), in essence, performing anelectronic interpretation of the type of alarm.

While the emphasis on alarm systems has been to improve the reporting ofan alarm condition to an alarm authority, the owner of the dwelling orvehicle that is subject to monitoring is not able to independentlymonitor alarm sensors.

Individuals not only have an interest in the status of alarm sensors butin the status of other devices as well. By way of illustration, ahomeowner may wish to monitor the status of a heating/cooling system, arefrigerator, a hot water heater, water pipes, a swimming pool, acomputer, and other systems and devices. Of particular utility is theability to monitor such systems and devices remotely and to issuecontrol commands to controllable devices. For example, a non-residenthomeowner could monitor the temperature of a vacation home and determinewhether to instruct a thermostat to increase or decrease the insidetemperature.

Communications devices also have states that can be monitored and usedto make decisions. A typical telephone status comprises an “on-hook”state and an “off-hook” state. Digital communications devices may haveadditional states that may be important in making decisions. Forexample, and not as a limitation, real time knowledge of the state of acommunications device can be used to determine when to place a call to aparty, what communication device to call, where to forward a call,whether a communications device and/or a user are present on a network,and to automatically call a party when a telephone changes from anoff-hook state to an on-hook state.

What is desired is a system whereby the status of a monitored device canbe determined remotely and decisions can be made based on the status.The desired system would allow decisions to be made by a user or to bemade automatically by another device responsive to the status of themonitored device. Additionally, a desired system would allow themonitored device to be controlled remotely based on the monitored devicestatus.

SUMMARY

An embodiment of the present invention provides a system for monitoringthe status of a device and saving device status information in devicestatus file that is accessible over a network.

It is an aspect of the present invention to provide a status of a deviceto a file that is accessible remotely.

It is a further aspect of the present invention to continually monitorthe status of a device in order to provide the device status informationdesired.

It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide the devicestatus information to the status file over a network.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide the devicestatus information to the status file over network chosen from a privatenetwork, a cable network, the public switched telephone network, theInternet, and a wireless network.

It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide access tothe device status information to the status file over a network.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide access to thestatus file over network chosen from a private network, a cable network,the public switched telephone network, the Internet, and a wirelessnetwork.

It is still another aspect of the present invention to provide devicestatus information to the status file over one network and to provideaccess to the status file over another network.

It is an aspect of the present invention to provide the status ofsecurity sensing devices to a status file that is accessible remotely.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide the status ofenvironmental devices to a status file that is accessible remotely.

It is still another aspect of the present invention to provide thestatus of a plain old telephone connected to the public switchedtelephone network to a status file that is accessible remotely.

It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide the statusof a telephone connected to a to a packet switched network to a statusfile that is accessible remotely.

It is an aspect of the present invention to provide the status of atelephone that is adapted to provide communications over a voice over IPsystem.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a status of areceiving device, wherein the status comprises a user identifier of apotential user of the receiving device determined to be within aconfigurable access distance of the receiving device.

It is yet another aspect of the present invention to determine theproximity of a potential user of a receiving device using RFID devices.

It is still another aspect of the present invention to use RFID devicesto establish permissions of a visitor to a facility.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparentfrom a review of the general and detailed descriptions that follow.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a system for obtaining astatus of an authorization device over a network comprises equipmentthat provides output signals indicative of the status of theauthorization device, a status file connected to the equipment and to afirst network, and an authorization datastore connected to the firstnetwork. By way of illustration and not as a limitation, the firstnetwork may be a wired network, wireless network, a fiber network,hybrid fiber coax network, a switched network, a packet-based network, acable network, a public switched telephone network, and the Internet.

The equipment provides output signals indicative of the status of theauthorization device. In an embodiment of the present invention, thestatus comprises a user identifier of a user determined to be within aconfigurable access distance of the authorization device and seekingpermission to a use a controlled device. The status file receives theoutput signals from the equipment.

The authorization datastore accesses the status file over the firstnetwork and obtains the status of the authorization device. Adetermination is made from the user identifier if the user is authorizedto use the controlled device. Permission is granted to the user to usethe controlled device if the user is determined to be authorized to usethe controlled device. By way of illustration and not as a limitation,the controlled device may be a door entry system, a telephone, arefrigerator, an entertainment system, and a computing device.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the authorization devicemay be located in a hotel, a hospital, a cruise ship, a movie theater,an educational institution, an employment center, a detainment facility,a military facility, a police facility, a governmental office, and aresearch facility. However, this is not meant as a limitation. Theauthorization device may be deployed wherever identification andpermission functionality are desirable.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the controlleddevice comprises a receiving device and the system tem further comprisesa sending device and a second network. In this embodiment, the sendingdevice associates a user address with the user identifier and routescommunications addressed to the user address to an address of thereceiving device via the second network. By way of illustration and notas a limitation, the second network may be a wired network, a wirelessnetwork, a fiber network, hybrid fiber coax network, a switched network,a packet-based network, a cable network, a public switched telephonenetwork, and the Internet. In still another embodiment of the presentinvention, the controlled device is a telephone and the user address andthe controlled device address are telephone numbers.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the user identifier isassociated with an RFID tag comprising an RFID tag identifier and theequipment comprises an RFID monitor. The equipment detects a presence ofthe RFID tag within the configurable access distance, and acquires theRFID tag identifier from the RFID tag.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method forobtaining a status of an authorization device over a network. The statusof the authorization device is inputted into a status file, wherein thestatus comprises a user identifier of a user determined to be within aconfigurable access distance of the authorization device and seekingpermission to a use a controlled device. The status file is accessedover a first network and the status of the authorization device isobtained. By way of illustration and not as a limitation, the firstnetwork may be a wired network, wireless network, a fiber network,hybrid fiber coax network, a switched network, a packet-based network, acable network, a public switched telephone network, and the Internet.From the user identifier is determined whether the user is authorized touse the controlled device. Permission is granted to the user to use thecontrolled device if the user is determined to be authorized to use thecontrolled device. By way of illustration and not as a limitation, thecontrolled device may be a door entry system, a telephone, arefrigerator, an entertainment system, and a computing device.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the authorization devicemay be located in a hotel, a hospital, a cruise ship, a movie theater,an educational institution, an employment center, a detainment facility,a military facility, a police facility, a governmental office, and aresearch facility. However, this is not meant as a limitation. Theauthorization device may be deployed wherever identification andpermission functionality are desirable.

In still another embodiment of the present invention, the controlleddevice comprises a receiving device. In this embodiment, a user addressis associated with the user identifier. Communications are routed from asending device addressed to the user address to an address of thereceiving device via a second network. By way of illustration and not asa limitation, the second network may be a wired network, a wirelessnetwork, a fiber network, hybrid fiber coax network, a switched network,a packet-based network, a cable network, a public switched telephonenetwork, and the Internet. In still another embodiment of the presentinvention, the controlled device is a telephone and the user address andthe controlled device address are telephone numbers.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the user identifier isassociated with an RFID tag comprising and RFID tag identifier. In thisembodiment, the presence of the RFID tag within the configurable accessdistance is detected. The RFID tag identifier is acquired from the RFIDtag, and the RFID tag identifier is inputted into the status file.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will beapparent in the following detailed description read in conjunction withthe accompanying drawing figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates the basic architecture of an equipment status monitoraccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates an equipment status monitor according to an alternateembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an operational process of a telephone status monitoraccording to the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an operational process of a telephone status monitoraccording to an alternate embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a telephone status monitor system embodiment usingwireless network components.

FIG. 6 illustrates the logical elements of a status monitoring systemutilizing an RFID tag according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates the components of an RFID monitor according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates a device status checking for a smart room.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of the present invention provides a system for monitoringthe status of a device and saving device status information in devicestatus file that is accessible over a network.

FIG. 1 illustrates the basic architecture of an equipment status monitoraccording to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.1, a status accessing device 100 accesses a device status file 110 vianetwork 115. In an embodiment of the present invention, the statusaccessing device 100 is a computer, although this is not meant as alimitation. Status accessing device 100 may be any device capable ofcommunicating with device status file 110 over network 115. By way ofillustration and not as a limitation, status accessing device 100 may bea general purpose computer, a laptop computer, a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a telephone, or a cell phone. By way of illustrationand not as a limitation, network 115 may be the public switchedtelephone network (PSTN), a packet switched network, the Internet, awireless network, or a cell phone network. Device status file 110 iscontinually updated by a device status monitor 120 that constantlymonitors a series of monitored devices 130, 135, and 140.

It should be noted that it is anticipated that many thousands of deviceswill be monitored in this fashion. Eventually it is anticipated thatmillions of device will be so monitored. The monitoring function can beaccomplished by special equipment for that purpose or is simply theoutput of monitored device designed to report to a status monitor 120.

The device status file 110 is continually updated by device statusmonitor 120 with status information indicative of the status of amonitored device (130-140). By way of illustration and not as alimitation, in an embodiment of the present invention, monitored device130 is a telephone and the status information comprises its on-hook oroff-hook status. In this embodiment, a calling party communicating withstatus accessing device 100 can receive “real time” status (asdetermined by the sampling rate of device status monitor 120) ofmonitored device (telephone) 130 being called by simply monitoring theequipment status file that is accessible over network 115. Since thestatus file is anticipated to contain many thousands of numbers it isanticipated as part of the present invention that when a calling partyusing status accessing device 100 requests the status of a particulartelephone that only the status of that telephone will be returned to theuser. Alternatively, a user of status accessing device 100 may create alist of numbers to monitor and have the data “pushed” over network 115to the status accessing device 100.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, monitored device 130comprises a security-sensing device. In this embodiment, the statusinformation gathered by device status monitor 120 is associated with ameasure of security that is sensed by the security sensing device. Byway of illustration and not as a limitation, in an embodiment of thepresent invention, a security-sensing device may be a motion detector,an audio detector, and an intrusion detector. The status informationassociated with a motion detector is movement, the status informationassociated with the audio detector is a change in sound levels over anambient sound level and the status information associated with anintrusion detector is the opening of a closed access means, such as adoor or a window.

Dwelling alarm systems typically comprise sensors, annunciators, andtelecom paths. Sensors include those for fire, motion within a room,structural movement (e.g., doors and windows), sound (e.g., glassbreaking), and panic buttons (e.g., medical or threat emergencies).Annunciators, which are activated when a sensor is triggered, includelocal audible alarms (e.g., sirens, bells, voice warnings) and messagessent using the telecom paths to an alarm call center (a central stationwhere operators monitor alarms from alarm service subscribers) ordirectly to an alarm authority (e.g., police, fire department,ambulance). Video and audio data may also be captured and transmitted.Typically, a local sensor in a multi-sensor alarm system detects fire,motion within a room, structural movement, specific sounds, operation ofa panic buttons, or other state for which a sensor is designed (eachsuch detection is an “alarm trigger”) and sends a signal to a localprocessor (“sensor hub”), usually on premises. The sensor hub then sendsa signal over a wireline (e.g., dial-up or leased telephone line, DSL,cable modem) or wireless (e.g., mobile phone network, private radioservice) to an alarm call center or alarm authority, where a response tothe alarm is undertaken.

In another embodiment of the present invention, monitored device 130 isa computer. In this embodiment, the status information gathered bydevice status monitor 120 is associated with measures of performance andcurrent state of the monitored device (computer) 130. By way ofillustration and not as a limitation, status information associated withthe computer is its presence on line, its memory usage, its temperature,processes that are running, processes that have been completed, and anydetected failures of hardware or software.

FIG. 2 illustrates an equipment status monitor according to an alternateembodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, astatus-accessing device 200 accesses a telephone status file 210 and adevice status file 215 via network 205. In an embodiment of the presentinvention, the status-accessing device 200 is a computer, although thisis not meant as a limitation. Status accessing device 200 may be anydevice capable of communicating with telephone status file 210 and/ordevice status file 215 over network 205. By way of illustration and notas a limitation, status-accessing device 200 may be a general purposecomputer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), atelephone, or a cell phone. By way of illustration and not as alimitation, network 205 may be the public switched telephone network(PSTN), a packet switched network, the Internet, a wireless network, ora cell phone network.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, telephone status file 210 is logicallydistinct from device status file 215. In this embodiment of the presentinvention, the status of telephone 250 is monitored by subscriber cableinterface device 220 and reported to softswitch 240.

In an embodiment of the present invention, telephone 250 may be adigital telephone adapted for communicating over a packet network, adigital telephone adapted for communicating over a VoIP system, a POTstelephone, a wireless telephone, or other communications device.

In an embodiment of the present invention, subscriber cable interfacedevice 225 comprises a set top box. However, this is not meant as alimitation. As disclosed in application Ser. No. 08/963,373, theconnection of the cable system can also be through any other voice/datainterface provided by the cable carrier since set top boxes will not bethe only interface to voice and data services over cable. By way ofillustration and not as a limitation, subscriber interface device 225may be a DOCSIS-compliant cable modem (CM) connected to an externalmedia terminal adapter (MTA). In another embodiment of the presentinvention, the subscriber cable interface 225 comprises an integrated CMand MTA. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, thesubscriber cable interface 225 comprises a set top box that is adaptedto receive communications over the cable network (that is, downstream)and to send communications over the cable network (that is, upstream) oranother network, such as the PSTN, a wireless network, or the Internet.

Device status monitor 255 determines the status of monitored devices 260and 265. Telephone status file 210 is continually updated by softswitch240 and device status file 215 is continually updated by device statusmonitor 255. However, this is not meant as a limitation. In anotherembodiment of the present invention, monitored device 260 is a telephonethat and the status information is provided to device status monitor255. In this embodiment, the status of monitored device (telephone) 260is reported to device status file 210.

Both device status monitor 255 and subscriber cable interface device 220are adapted to send status information as packets over cable network 230to CMTS 235. CMTS 235 routes the status file information packets toeither softswitch 240 or device status file 215, as appropriate.

FIG. 3 illustrates a call camp-on feature according to an embodiment ofthe present invention. In this embodiment, telephone A 300 desires tocall telephone B 310 via network 305. Telephony/data interface 320monitors the status of telephone B 310 and sends telephone statusinformation to telephone B status file 325. In this embodiment,telephone status information comprises an on-hook and an off-hook stateof telephone B 310. Telephone B status file 325 is accessible to astatus accessing device 335 via network 330. Telephone B statusinformation is also sent to camp-on processor 340.

Telephone A 300 initiates a call to telephone B 310 through camp-onprocessor 340. Camp-on processor 340 determines the status of telephoneB 310 by polling status accessing device 335. If the status of telephoneB 310 is on-hook, the call is placed by camp-on processor 340 andswitched to telephone A 300. If the status of telephone B 310 isoff-hook, camp-on processor 340 monitors status accessing device todetermine when telephone B 310 transitions to an on-hook state, thenplaces a call to telephone B 310. The call is transferred to telephone A300.

In an embodiment of the present invention, network 305 is the publicswitched network. However, this is not meant as a limitation. Network305 may be any network on which telephone calls may be placed. By way ofillustration and not as a limitation, network 305 may be the Internetand the communications between telephone A 300 and telephone B 310 maybe VoIP calls.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, while network 305 isillustrated as a single network, the path between telephone A 300 andtelephone B 305 may comprise a number of networks using varioustransport means and signaling protocols. By way of illustration and notas a limitation, a call originating from telephone A 300 may be a VoIPcall placed over a cable network that is routed to telephone B 310 viathe PSTN. One such protocol is the session initiation protocol (SIP).

In an embodiment of the present invention, network 330 may be the publicswitched telephone network (PSTN), a packet switched network, theInternet, a wireless network, or a cell phone network.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the status of a deviceis presented and a user of a status accessing device is provided theability to control the device remotely.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow of a process by which a status of a thermalcontrol device is obtained and a control option is presented accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, a device status file of a controllable devicereceives device status information 400. The device status information isaccessed 405 and the option to issue a control command is presented 410.If the option to issue a control command is not exercised, the devicestatus is monitored 415 and process repeats 400. If the option to issuea control is exercised, the control command is selected 420 and theselected command is sent to the controllable device 425. The devicestatus is monitored and the status information is updated to reflect theissuance of the control command 430 and the process repeats 400. By wayof illustration and not as a limitation, in an embodiment of the presentinvention, the controllable device is a thermostat and the controlcommand is selected from raise temperature and lower temperature. Inanother embodiment of the present invention, the controllable device isa security monitoring device and the control command is directed to thesecurity monitoring device. By way of illustration and not as alimitation, the security monitoring device is a video camera and thecontrol command is selected from the group consisting of pan up, pandown, pan left, pan right, zoom in, and zoom out.

Referring to FIG. 5, an alternative embodiment of the present inventionis illustrated. While it is important for callers to be able toascertain whether the party is online or not, this is also particularlyimportant when one is dealing with wireless communications. For example,and as described earlier, status accessing device 500 access network 502to ascertain the status of wireless telephones 512, 514, and 518. Thequery concerning the equipment status then proceeds through a wirelessapplication protocol (WAP) interface 506 to wireless network 508. Therequest then flows to the wireless network manager 510 which recordswhich wireless phones are currently available on the network and whichof those telephones is engaged in an active telephone call. Thus networkmanager 510 “knows” that wireless telephones 512 and 514 are availablefor telephone calls or in the alternative that, for example, wirelesstelephone 514 is engaged in an active phone call. This information isthen sent by network manager 510 over wireless network 508 through WAPinterface 506 through network 502 to status access device 500. At thatpoint the user of status accessing device 500 can decide to make atelephone call using telephone 532 and network 504 through the WAPinterface 506 over wireless network 508 to the wireless telephones 112,114. In an embodiment of the present invention, telephone 532 is aconventional telephone and network 504 is the PSTN. In anotherembodiment of the present invention, telephone 532 is adapted to use theVoIP and network 504 is an IP network.

Knowledge of the status of telephones is particularly important wheretelecommunications service providers (TSPs) utilize business modelsbased on charging the caller for calls made over the TSP's facilities.The PSTN uses this model as do providers of VoIP services. Wirelessproviders may also shift to this model. Thus, in a situation where acaller is charged for all telephone calls made, it will be particularlyimportant to the caller that it not get charged for leaving a messageover a wireless network which tends to be particularly expensive.

The expense in dealing with a wireless network is all the more apparentwhen one considers that a telephone may be in a “roaming” mode where thetelephone is in a network that is not the home network for the wirelesstelephone. Thus, in the case where wireless telephone 518 is roaming ina second wireless network 516, a telephone call that is not completed orwherein a message is simply left, becomes all the more expensive sinceroaming charges will be charged to the caller as well.

FIG. 6 illustrates the logical elements of a status monitoring systemutilizing an RFID tag according to embodiments of the present invention.Referring to FIG. 6, a device monitor 805 monitors the status ofreceiving devices RD “A” 820 and RD “B” 825. RD “A” 820 and RD “B” 825each comprise an unique address. Device monitor 805 creates status file“A” 850 comprising the status of RD “A” 820 and status file “B” 855comprising the status of RD “B” 825. These status files are availableover network 860 sending devices 830 and 835. Sending devices 830 and835 select a receiving device (RD “A” 820 and/or RD “B” 825) tocommunicate with using the address of the selected receiving device.Communications are established via network 865.

In an embodiment of the present invention, receiving devices RD “A” 820and RD “B” 825 are telephones and the addresses are telephone numbers.As previously described, the status of a telephone receiving devicecomprises the “on-hook” or “off-hook” state of the receiving device andother information about the state of the device that would be useful toa sending device. By way of illustration and not as a limitation, thestatus may include whether the device is forwarded, the number of ringsbefore the device is answered by an automated answering device, andsimilar state information.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, communications maybe established between other sending devices and receiving deviceswithout departing from the scope of the present invention. By way ofillustration and not as a limitation, receiving devices and sendingdevices may be a computing device, a digital telephone providing voiceover IP, a personal data assistance, a cell phone, a radio phone, avideo phone, and the like. Additionally, sending devices may beswitches, routers, proxy servers and other devices that brokercommunications between receiving devices and other sending devices.

The status of a receiving device is directly related to the media thereceiving device uses for communication, the type of communications thereceiving device receives, and the functionality that is embodied in thereceiving device. By way of illustration, if the receiving device is anIP networked device, the status comprises the IP address of thereceiving device, port information, firewall information, and networkaddress translation information.

Networks 860 and 865 may be wired, wireless, fiber, hybrid fiber coax,switched, packet-based, and combinations of the same. Additionally,networks 860 and 865 may be the same or different media. In an exemplaryembodiment, network 860 is the Internet. In another exemplaryembodiment, network 865 is a telephone network.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the status of areceiving device further comprises a recipient list of users able to usethe receiving device at any particular time. In this exemplaryembodiment, the recipient list is created by the receiving device inresponse to the detection of a qualified user within a configurableaccess distance of the receiving device. A sending device may accessthis status information and determine how to communicate with a user onthe recipient list.

Referring again to FIG. 6, device monitor 805 further comprises an RFIDmonitor 848 that may communicate with RFID tag “A” 840 and RFID tag “B”844. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, RFID tags 840 and 844 arepassive devices. However, the present invention is not so limited.Semi-passive or active RFID tags may be utilized without departing fromthe scope of the present invention. Additionally, RFID tags 840 and 844comprise memory (not illustrated) in which RFID identifier “A” 842 andRFID identifier “B” 846 are stored. The memory may be either a read onlymemory or programmable read/write memory.

RFID monitor 848 polls RFID tag “A” 840 and RFID tag “B” 844. An RFIDtag within a preset distance of RFID monitor 848 will respond with areflected signal comprising an RFID identifier of the responding tag. IfRFID tag “A” 840 responds to the poll from RFID monitor 848, RFIDmonitor 848 will receive RFID identifier “A” 842. If RFID tag “B” 844responds to the poll from RFID monitor 848, RFID monitor 848 willreceive RFID identifier “B” 846. If both tags respond to the poll, RFIDmonitor 848 will received both RFID identifier “A” 842 and RFIDidentifier “B” 846. The RFID identifiers are then added to theappropriate receiving device status file.

Both sending devices 830 and 835 have access to the receiving devicestatus files (850 and 855) and to datastore 810. Datastore 810 maps anRFID identifier in a receiving device status file to an addressassociated with a user and to an address of the receiving deviceassociated with the receiving device status file. Thus, a sending device“knows” at a point in time (determined by the polling rate of RFIDmonitor 848) that a user is within a preset proximity to a receivingdevice. A communication directed to that user's address may then bedirected to the address of that receiving device.

In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, access to thestatus information of a receiving device is limited to a sending deviceor a sender that has been pre-qualified to access that statusinformation. The identity of the sending device or caller is establishedusing the address of the sending device or an identifier of the sender.By way of illustration and not as a limitation, a sending device may beidentified by its network address or MAC address and a sender may beidentified by his or her telephone number, e-mail address, or SIPaddress. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the sendermay be prompted for a user ID.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the statusmonitoring system illustrated in FIG. 6 and described above may be usedin many applications. By way of illustration and not as a limitation, inan embodiment of the present invention, a status monitoring systemmonitors a telephone system. In this embodiment, the telephone systemmay be operated within an office, a hotel, a hospital, a home, anairport, and similar environments. The system may comprise a singlelocation or multiple locations.

In this embodiment, a sending device (830) is a switching device thatreceives a call from a calling party directed to a called party usingthe called party's telephone number. The called party is assigned to RD“A” 820 and RFID tag “A” 840. Sending device 830 checks status file “A”850 and determines that the called party is not in proximity to the RD“A” 820. Sending device 830 then checks the status files of all otherreceiving devices on the network to determine whether the called partyis in proximity to any other receiving device. In this example, ID “A”842 associated with RFID tag “A” 840 assigned to the called party islocated in status file “B” 855 indicating that the called party is inproximity to RD “B” 825. Send device 830 redirects the call to RD “B”825 and the parties are connected.

FIG. 7 illustrates the components of an RFID monitor according to anembodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, an RFID monitor 900 comprises a signal acquisitionelement 910, a signal processor 920, an object identification manager940, a separation manager 960, an RFID status report generator 990, andan RFID tag query manager 905.

RFID query manager 905 sends a query signal during a preset time period.In another embodiment of the present invention, the power of the querysignal sent by query manager 905 may be adjusted. The query signal isreceived by an RFID tag 980 and reflected back to alert module 900. Thereflected signal comprises the code 982 stored in memory 984. Signalacquisition element 910 receives the reflected signal emitted by RFIDtag 980. The signal acquisition element 910 comprises a device ordevices appropriated to receive the signal generated by RFID tag 980. Inan embodiment of the present invention, the sensitivity of the signalacquisition element 910 may be adjusted. The reflected signal from thesignal acquisition element 910 is received and processed by signalprocessor 920. The processed signal is sent from signal processor 920 toan object identification manager 940 to obtain the RFID tag code 984.The signal is also provided to separation manager 960 to determine ifthe distance between the RFID monitor 900 and the RFID tag 980 exceeds apreset separation distance.

If the preset separation distance is not exceeded, the separationmanager 960 sends “present” signal to RFID status report generator 990indicative of the proximity of RFID tag 980 to the receiving devicebeing monitored. RFID status report generator 990 will send a statusreport to the status file (see FIG. 6, 850 or 855) of the receivingdevice being monitored reporting the proximity of RFID tag 980 with RFIDtag code 984 in proximity to that receiving device.

If the preset separation distance is exceeded, the separation manager960 will take no action. In this case, RFID status report generator 990will not receive a “present” signal. If RFID report generator 990 haspreviously received a “present” signal relating to RFID tag 980, thenRFID status report generator 990 will send a new RFID status to theappropriate status file removing RFID tag 980 with RFID code 984 fromthe list of RFID tags in proximity to the receiving device beingmonitored. In an embodiment of the present invention, RFID status reportgenerator 990 waits a number of polling cycles in which the presetseparation distance between RFID monitor 900 and RFID tag 980 isdetermined to have been exceed before removing RFID tag 980 from thelist of RFID tags in proximity to the receiving device being monitored.

In one embodiment of the present invention, separation manager 960determines that the preset separation distance has been exceeded basedon a lack of a reflected signal from RFID tag 980.

In another embodiment, separation manager 960 uses the signal strengthof the reflected signal to determine that the preset separation distancehas been exceeded. In conjunction with the variable power of the querysignal emitted by query manager 905 and the variable sensitivity of thesignal acquisition element 910, the separation distance threshold may beadjusted. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, that othermeans may be used to determine that the preset separation distance hasbeen exceeded without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The monitoring system and method of the present invention alsocontributes to the changing environment of office “hoteling” whereinmultiple workers, each of whom may telecommute, may use the same officewhen they are present at different times in the physical location oftheir organization. In this manner, a worker can check into the officeto be used and, via the present invention, have calls routed to thatoffice and have appropriate computer access to files based on the statusof the receiving device in that office (i.e telephone, computer, faxmachine, PDA, cell Phone). As a user's profile status changes,regardless of where the worker resides in a vacant or temporarilyassigned office, the permissions for file access and telephone routingwill be enabled and be appropriate to the permission level of thatworker.

Referring now to FIG. 8 an alternative embodiment of the status filechecking of the present invention is illustrated in the context of ahotel environment. This description is not meant as a limitation sincethe status files checking and permissions as described below are equallyapplicable in a variety of settings. By way of illustration and not as alimitation, the description that follows may be applied to a hotel, ahospital, a cruise ship, a movie theater, an educational institution, anemployment center, a detainment facility, a military facility, a policefacility, a governmental office, and a research facility.

In this illustrative embodiment of FIG. 8 a guest is issued an RFID“key” 1002 upon check in. At that point registration informationconcerning the guest is stored via a registration/status server 1000into an ID store 1016. Part of that information is the identity of theguest, the charge card/debit card being used and other informationcustomary in the trade. However, in addition, the guest can specify whatother services are desired such as refrigerator access, phone access,video access, internet access and other services that a hotel mightoffer on a “pay-as-you-go” basis. Any such service elections are alsostored in the ID store 1016 along with the RFID Key 1002 identity. Inthis way, the guest receives permissions to use any number of controlleddevices, for example and without limitation, a telephone, arefrigerator, an entertainment center, and a computing device.

Thereafter, the guest may be admitted to the room via use of the RFIDKey 1002 and the room authorization device 1004 such as, and withoutlimitation, and RFID activated door lock. When the guest desires to usethe smart telephone 1006, the RFID key 1002 is simply brought intoproximity of the telephone, which comprises an authorization devicehaving RFID checking capability (not illustrated) and a signal is sentvia network 1014 to registration/status server 1000. Registration/statusserver 1000 checks the ID store 1016 to determine if smart telephone usepermission has been granted. If so, the smart telephone 1006 isimmediately available for use by the guest. In this instance differentlevels of access may be granted to a specific key holder. For example,one key holder may have full access to controlled devices that providelocal, long distance, international and a variety of other callingservices. Another guest, for example a minor having his/her own key, maysimply have access to a telephone to make limited local calls.Similarly, access to videos and other entertainment media havingdifferent ratings can be controlled based on the RFID key 1002 issued toa guest.

If the guest desires access to the in-room refrigerator 1008, thatdevice also comprises an authorization device having RFID checkingcapability (not illustrated). The guest again use room key 1002 toobtain access to the refrigerator 1008. Access is then granted once theRFID key ID is checked over network 1014 via registration/status server1000 and ID store 1016.

Access to the Internet 1010 and in room games and videos 1012 is alsocontrolled based upon permission given to specific key holders. All keyholders are separately identified in ID store 1016 in association withtheir respective permissions.

In an alternative embodiment, when a guest checks in and uses key 1002to enter a room via room authorization device 1004, theregistration/status server 1000 and ID store 1016 are notified that theroom was access by the appropriate guest having a particular RFID key1002. Thereafter, upon checking of the permissions for that guest storedin ID store 1016, signals are sent to the various in-room controlleddevices (smart phone 1006, refrigerator 1008, web access 1010, and videoaccess 1012) that the guest requested permission to access on check in.When the guest leaves the room, and when the RFID comes in the vicinityof the room authorization device 1004, all in-room facility access isturned off until that guest returns.

Using the present invention, other keys may be issued to other staffpersonnel depending on the level of access desired. For example, themaid service may require access but are not permitted access tointernet, telephone refrigerator or other services. However, uponentering a room, the registration/status server 1000 is sent a messagethat a certain key holder (staff member) is present in the room. Withthat information, management can contact the staff worker via the smartphone 1006 should the need arise. However, the staff member would notnecessarily have access to other in-room facilities. Any such accesswould be denied by the registration/status server 1000.

In still another embodiment of the present invention, when a callerdesires to reach a guest, the operator in the hotel can access thestatus file of the telephone in the guest's room to determine if theguest is present or on the line. The caller can then either be informedof that device status or be put through to the room if the guest ispresent on not on the telephone.

It should be noted that, while a single network 1014 is noted in FIG. 8,this is not meant as a limitation. Access signals and permissions may betransmitted to the registration/status server 1000 over multiplenetworks such as wired and wireless networks, depending upon theconfiguration of the communication system in the hotel (or otherfacility). In addition, other signals relating to the status of in-roomfacilities are also available over the network of the present invention.Such things as refrigerator temperature may be sent independent of anyaccess request in order to track where the refrigerator 1008 isoperating. The status of the internet access device (router, hub etc)can also be verified while the guest is away via signal over thenetwork. Similarly the set top box, cable modem, may be checked over thenetwork to ensure all is in working order.

This illustration is not meant as a limitation. For example, statuschecking using RFID storage and access of the present invention canequally be used in a factory settling where access and status of devicesand personnel must be controlled. Hospitals will also benefit from thestatus checking of the present invention as well. Many other facilitiessuch as schools, movie theaters, research laboratories, military andpolice facility, and correctional institutions will also find utility inthe present invention where status of devices, and identification ofusers is desired in order to regulate access to controlled devices andspaces.

For example, in a movie theater embodiment, movie theatre ticketscomprise an RFID tag. Permissions are associated with specific tags sothat a “PG” movie will have and RFID tag identifying the ticket as onethat admits a person only to that level of movie. Attempts to by aticket holder to enter a movie with a more restrictive rating will bethwarted by alarm, door entry restrictions and the like. Similarly, aticket for an “R” rated movie will have an appropriate RFID tag ticketthat will allow entry to that movie. The RFID tag tickets of the presentinvention also allow attendance figures to be taken, allow specificmovie times of attendance to be policed and allow other functionsrelating to movie attendance (concessions, leaving early etc.) to betracked.

The present invention has been described in terms of preferredembodiments. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that thepresent invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention disclosed and that theexamples and embodiments described herein are in all respectsillustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art of thepresent invention will recognize that other embodiments using theconcepts described herein are also possible. Further, any reference toclaim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,”“an,” or “the” is not to be construed as limiting the element to thesingular.

1. A system for obtaining a status of an authorization device over anetwork comprising: equipment adapted to provide output signalsindicative of the status of the authorization device, wherein the statuscomprises a user identifier of a user determined to be within aconfigurable access distance of the authorization device and seekingpermission to a use a controlled device; a status file connected to theequipment for receiving the output signals from the equipment; a firstnetwork connected to the status file; an authorization datastoreconnected to the first network, the authorization datastore adapted for:accessing the status file over the first network; obtaining the statusof the authorization device; and determining from the user identifier ifthe user is authorized to use the controlled device; and grantingpermission to the user to use the controlled device if the user isdetermined to be authorized to use the controlled device.
 2. The systemof claim 1, wherein the controlled device is selected from the groupconsisting of a door entry system, a telephone, a refrigerator, anentertainment system, and a computing device.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the authorization device is located in a facility selected fromthe group consisting of a hotel, a hospital, a cruise ship, a movietheater, an educational institution, an employment center, a detainmentfacility, a military facility, a police facility, a governmental office,and a research facility.
 4. The system of claim I, wherein the firstnetwork is selected from the group consisting of a wired network, awireless network, a fiber network, hybrid fiber coax network, a switchednetwork, a packet-based network, a cable network, a public switchedtelephone network, and the Internet.
 5. The system of claim 1, whereinthe controlled device comprises a receiving device, wherein the systemfurther comprises a sending device and a second network, and wherein thesending device is adapted for: associating a user address with the useridentifier; and routing communications addressed to the user address toan address of the receiving device via the second network.
 6. The systemof claim 5, wherein the second network is selected from the groupconsisting of a wired network, a wireless network, a fiber network,hybrid fiber coax network, a switched network, a packet-based network, acable network, a public switched telephone network, and the Internet. 7.The system of claim 1, wherein the controlled device is a telephone andthe user address and the controlled device address are telephonenumbers.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the user identifier isassociated with an RFID tag comprising and RFID tag identifier, andwherein the equipment comprises an RFID monitor adapted for: detecting apresence of the RFID tag within the configurable distance; and acquiringthe RFID tag identifier from the RFID tag.
 9. A method for obtaining astatus of an authorization device over a network comprising: inputtingthe status of the authorization device into a status file, wherein thestatus comprises a user identifier of a user determined to be within aconfigurable access distance of the authorization device and seekingpermission to a use a controlled device; accessing the status file overa first network; obtaining the status of the authorization device;determining from the user identifier if the user is authorized to usethe controlled device; and granting permission to the user to use thecontrolled device if the user is determined to be authorized to use thecontrolled device.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the controlleddevice is selected from the group consisting of a door entry system, atelephone, a refrigerator, an entertainment system, and a computingdevice.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the authorization device islocated in a facility selected from the group consisting of a hotel, ahospital, a cruise ship, a movie theater, an educational institution, anemployment center, a detainment facility, a military facility, a policefacility, a governmental office, and a research facility.
 12. The methodof claim 9, wherein the first network is selected from the groupconsisting of a wired network, a wireless network, a fiber network,hybrid fiber coax network, a switched network, a packet-based network, acable network, a public switched telephone network, and the Internet.13. The method of claim 9 wherein the controlled device comprises areceiving device, and wherein the method further comprises: associatinga user address with the user identifier; and routing communications froma sending device addressed to the user address to an address of thereceiving device via a second network.
 14. The method of claim 13,wherein the second network is selected from the group consisting of awired network, wireless network, a fiber network, hybrid fiber coaxnetwork, a switched network, a packet-based network, a cable network, apublic switched telephone network, and the Internet.
 15. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the controlled device is a telephone and the useraddress and the controlled device address are telephone numbers.
 16. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the user identifier is associated with anRFID tag comprising and RFID tag identifier, and wherein the methodfurther comprises: detecting a presence of the RFID tag within theconfigurable access distance; acquiring the RFID tag identifier from theRFID tag; and inputting the RFID tag identifier into the status file.